Zootopia Short Stories: A City Fox Goes Camping
by Old Goat
Summary: Camping is a great way for two stressed city cops to unwind, or so Judy Hopps thought. The problem with her plan is that her partner, Nick Wilde, is a city born and bred fox who knows little about the great outdoors. He also finds that he has to face an old childhood nightmare. I'm new at writing, so comments would be appreciated.
1. A City Fox Goes Camping

**Zootopia Short Stories: A City Fox Goes Camping**

The Green Mountains are just north of Tundratown and are renowned for their apple orchards, Maple trees, and majestic scenery. A perfect place for two stressed city cops to camp and unwind, or so Judy Hopps thought. The problem with her plan is that her partner Nick Wilde is a city born and bred fox, who knows little about the great outdoors. After his traumatic muzzling the night he tried to join the Junior Ranger Scouts, he turned his tail on camping, fishing, hiking, and other outdoor fun a young tod might enjoy in the woods. Instead, he became a cynical hustler and thief, a child of the city's dark alleyways and dive bars.

It was a crisp cool autumn afternoon when they arrived at the campground. Watching the rabbit's excitement, Nick chuckled. "You know Fluff, I think you borrowed enough camping gear for a family of ten."

"Oh come on Slick!" Judy protested. "I've only got the basics. Two tents, a couple of sleeping bags, flashlights, a first aid kit, and…" She was cut off by the fox's laughter.

"Carrots, you've already done inventory three times since the trip started. I'm sure we've got everything, so where do we start?"

"We'll set up our tents over here and our cooking gear can go over by the fire pit. We can set the tents up so they are facing each other and that way we can talk tonight while in our sleeping bags.

The fox picked up a tent and carried it over to where the rabbit said to set it up and then he went back for the other tent. He watched as Judy opened and unrolled the tent on top of its plastic ground cloth. She put metal stakes into loops at each of the tent's corner and used a mallet to hammer them into the ground. Taking a pole, she put one in each end of the tent and then attached ropes to the top of each pole and pulled the tent taunt before staking down the ropes. When she was finished, she stood back and grinned at the fox. "That's how you set up a pup tent!"

"You're kidding…it's called a pup tent? Why not a kitten tent or a bunny tent? Why are you mammals always picking on us poor old canids?"

"Just set your tent up fox! I'm getting some firewood for our campfire tonight," Judy said as she walked towards the woods. "Call me if you need help."

As she was gathering up branches and kindling for the fire, Judy stopped to watch the fox struggle with his tent. He didn't ask for any help and finally got the tent set up. He proudly stepped back and looked at his handwork. "Oh fudge!" he growled.

"What's wrong?"

"I set it up it up backwards. I guess I'll have to try again or maybe you'd rather just talk to my tail?"

"No thank you Slick!"

Slowly the fox undid everything and proceed to set the tent up correctly. He finished and helped get more wood for the fire.

As they relaxed and began to set out the kitchen gear, Nick asked, "Hey where's the coffee?"

"I brought instant, we don't have a coffee pot so we can't make real coffee. I guess you'll have to rough it after all." Judy's ears dropped as she heard the fox's murmuring about rabbits and instant coffee.

Suddenly there was rattling, clanking, and the sounds of paws as a group of uniformed mammals came down the trail.

Judy quickly looked at Nick with concern and the fox was staring at the eight young Junior Ranger Scouts and two adult leaders walking towards them. To make matters even worse, the scout carrying a pawmade patrol flag in the front of the line was a little red fox kit. At the sight of the young fox, the older fox's ears flattened and he let out a small whine.

The scouts called out greetings as they walked past and down the trail. One of the leaders stopped and spoke to both Nick and Judy, "I hope we're not disturbing you two, we're in the next site down the trail." The tall Ibex said as he adjusted his backpack slightly. "They're good kits and won't make too much noise, but they are boys and can get a little loud sometimes. Let me know if they get too loud. My name's Bill Leapling and I am the Scoutmaster." He shook Judy and then Nick's paws as they introduced themselves to Bill. Bill introduced his assistant, a ram named David Shearing. David had a son in the patrol.

After the two leaders left to join the scouts at their campsite, Judy began to build a fire and Nick watched her. Glimpsing down the trail, he saw the scout's quickly and efficiently set up their camp. The fox's ears twitched as her heard the rabbit exclaim, "Sweet cheese and crackers the flame keeps going out!"

Nick looked back down the trail as a young woodchuck began building a fire for the scouts. The scout combed some loose wool from a young sheep and put shredded leaves around it. The he took small twigs, then larger, and even larger until he had made a teepee shape with the largest logs on the outside. Concentrating he pulled out a single match from the box and held it up in his paw.

"You can do it Harry!" the sheep said.

"One match Harry!" Another scout chanted and the others joined in.

The woodchuck struck the match, used it to catch the wool on fire, and then he gently blew on the struggling flames until they grew and finally the fire was burning strong. The scouts cheered and laughed as they all gave the woodchuck fist bumps and high fives.

Nick looked over at Judy and she still didn't have the fire started. "Can I try Carrots?" he asked.

"I guess you can't do any worse!" Judy grumbled as she watched the fox sort out her twigs by size. He then ran his paws through his tail until he had a small pawful of fur he was shedding. Finding some dry leaves he shredded these and began setting the twigs, branches, and wood in a teepee fashion, the same way the woodchuck did. Taking a match, he struck it and quickly lit the fur wad on fire and then he gently blew on the flames until they grew.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Judy asked.

"I saw someone else do it before," the fox answered with a grin.

Judy rolled her eyes and huffed as she filled a pot with water and put it near the fire. Then she sliced some cucumbers and apples. As she was doing this, Nick watched the scouts prepare their supper. The sheep was dicing some vegetables for a pot. He watched as the little fox opened his scout pocketknife and using the small hook shaped blade, he punctured the top of can of tomato soup and began cutting the lid open. He then poured the tomato soup into the pot and the sheep added the vegetables and some water. The scouts then added spices and put the pot on some of the fire's coals to cook.

"Oh no!" Judy exclaimed as she held a can of vegetable and lentil stew in her paws. "I forgot a can opener!"

Nick looked around and found her pocket knife, he opened the curved blade and carefully punctured and cut the can open. "Ta-da" he said as he handed her the open can.

"I always wondered what that weird shaped blade was for." Judy said as she poured the stew into a pot. "How'd you know it was a can opener?"

"I saw someone use it before," Nick chuckled.

Their meal consisted of the stew, crackers, and a cucumber and apple salad. Judy also had a package of chicken flavored kibble for Nick to add to his stew.

The fox poured himself a cup of hot water and added a spoonful of instant coffee, lifting the coffee to his muzzle he sipped. "GAH! THAT IS TERRIBLE!" he exclaimed just a little too loud. "They call this coffee?"

Judy's ears dropped, "Sorry Nick, I thought it was supposed to be good."

"Not your fault Carrots," Nick sighed. "How are you supposed to know what coffee tastes like since you can't drink it? You know what it does to rabbits."

"I only brought the instant coffee, some packets of hot coco, and some herbal tea," the rabbit replied. "I know you can't eat chocolate, but do you want some tea?"

"Ahem,"

Nick looked up and saw the Scoutmaster standing with a coffee pot in his paw, "Sorry I couldn't help overhearing your comments and was wondering if you would like some of our coffee?"

Nick smiled and stood up with his cup in his paw, the fox's tail was wagging. "You're a lifesaver!" he said. "I've become addicted to this stuff, one of the drawbacks of being a cop."

"Lifeblood of a scout leader too," Bill laughed. "So Nick, you're a cop? I heard there was a fox cop. I'm with the fire department." Turning to the rabbit, he added, "That would make you the famous Judy Hopps. I understand you arrested our last two mayors, any chance we could get you to arrest our current mayor too? Word is that she's cutting both the ZPD and ZFD's budgets again and besides three's a lucky number.

"Only if she breaks the law," Judy replied. "I've noticed you two adults just sit there and watch the kits, I thought you would be teaching them something?"

"Adults work with the scout youth leaders" he replied. "See that scout over by the fire showing the other boy how to lash those two sticks?" Judy looked at the warthog sitting next to the fox. "We try to teach the boys leadership skills, he's the patrol leader and if I need something done, I'll tell him. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but they learn."

"It must be hard not to do something yourself?" Nick asked.

"It is and can be frustrating at times, but it works," Bill replied. "A scout learns from another scout and then teaches another. Not only does it teach them skills like tying knots, but it also teaches them how to be leaders. Besides, it teaches them how to be friends too."

"Yeah, sometimes," Nick mumbled as his ears flattened. "Sometimes it doesn't."

The Scoutmaster gave the fox a strange look before he said, "Well I've got to get back, if you want some more coffee just help yourself."

He left them by their fire and walked over to the patrol leader, then learning over he said something to the young warthog.

* * *

It was starting to get dusk, when Nick saw the fox kit heading their way. "Carrots we have a visitor!"

The little fox approached them and then coming to attention, he snapped a salute. "Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde, we would like to invite you to join us by the fire. We're gonna..sorry, I mean we are going to have popcorn, tell stories and sing some songs."

Judy looked over at the older fox and she was concerned, but Nick stood up and saluted the scout back before answering, "We would be delighted to join your patrol by the fire."

The two of them followed the tod over to the campfire and the patrol leader approached them. "Thanks for coming, I'm Sammy," Nick and Judy both shook the scout's hoof. He began introducing the other scouts, Big Bob was a bull, Harry was a woodchuck, the young ram was named Paul, there was a lanky coyote named Hank, a pig named Able, his twin brother Cain, and of course the tod named Rusty.

As they sat down by the fire, Paul brought them both mugs of steaming hot cider and the Scoutmaster took a seat next to Nick, they watched the boys begin to make packets of popcorn. The scouts took double thick sheets of aluminum foil, poured some oil into the center and then a couple of pawfuls of corn kernels. Then loosely wadding the foil packets, tied strings to the top of the packets, and then tied the other end of the strings to long sticks.

"They look like your fishing!" Judy chuckled.

"Yep, fishing for popcorn," laughed the bull as he sat down and dangled his packet over the fire. The other scouts joined him and excitedly began talking.

"Officer Hopps, were you ever a scout?" Harry asked.

"I grew up on a farm outside of Bunnyburrow and most of my family belonged to the Young Farmers Club," Judy replied. "I was more interested in police work then in farming, so I never joined."

"What about you Officer Wilde?" Rusty asked as his tail was wagging in anticipation. Nick knew the question was coming, but still his ears twitched.

"I had some bad experiences with bullies as a kit and instead I turned into the kind of guy you don't want to become," Nick said as he stared into the fire. "I'd still be a petty thief and a hustler if it hadn't been for Judy. She turned my life around, that's what friends do."

"Nobody bullies my friends," Big Bob bellowed. "I'll send them packing."

"Yeah, the Raven Patrol takes care of their own!" Hank added, the coyote grinned and started their patrol cry, "Kaw, Kaw, Kaw...Ravens Fly High!" The scouts laughed as they finished.

"Ahem," their Scoutmaster cleared his throat before asking, "Bob, how do we handle bullies?"

The bull looked up and the sighed, "Tell our teacher or another adult." The Scoutmaster nodded. Then bull loudly whispered, "But anyone picks on our fox, he'll have to answer to me!"

Suddenly everyone was distracted by the sound of the kernels popping and they began to vigorously shake their packets.

Nick and Judy sat by the fire, ate popcorn and listened to the boys tell jokes, sing songs and tell ghost stories until finally the Scoutmaster yawned. "It's getting late Sammy, you might want to get the guys cleaning up and ready for bed."

Nick and Judy took this as their cue to leave and thanked the scouts for their hospitality. The Scoutmaster joined them as they were walking back towards their tent. "I would guess you had a bad experience in scouts," he asked Nick.

"Let's just say I learned the hard way that foxes weren't welcome in scouts," Nick sighed.

"Scout units are run by volunteers," Bill said as he shook his head. "Sometimes we bring our prejudices with us as a leader and that's not fulfilling the Promise of Scouting, but it happens. I'm sorry things went the way they did for you." He shook both Nick and Judy's paws and said goodnight. But then turned around and said, "Don't be surprised if you get invited for breakfast. Big Bob is making blueberry pancakes and he brought more the enough to feed half the ZFD. Oh and we'll have the coffee ready for you Nick."

After cleaning up their campsite and putting out the fire, they climbed into their tents and changed for bed. Snuggling into his sleeping bag, Nick opened the tent flaps and was going to say something to Judy, but she was already fast asleep. Looking around the edge of this tent, he saw the Scoutmaster checking on the sleeping scouts, then stepping back near the fire he stood there with his right hoof on his hip and a long stick in his other as he began to put out the campfire. To the fox, he looked like picture postcard image of what a scoutmaster should be. Nick yawned, closed his eyes, and there was a smile on his muzzle as he fell asleep.

* * *

 **Nick's last view of the Scoutmaster in this story is based on Norman Rockwell's famous painting called _The Scoutmaster._**


	2. Addendum: Years Later

**Addendum**

 **I felt that I need to add this after some current events that impacted our world's Scouting. I am not endeavoring to make any political statements, but remind everyone that there is some good in scouts. I have changed the Scouting Way to the more appropriate terminology of the Promise of Scouting, for it is a promise made to every scout that guides the organization.**

* * *

The red fox opened the small wooden box, where he kept what few personal items he had collected during his life. When he was younger and living on the streets, he had hidden this box in a nearby ally way. He pulled his collection of his life's treasures and laid them out on the bed before him.

A worn photo of his mother, a plastic tire nub he once took off of Finn's van, his late father's comb, a button from his first police uniform shirt, were among his unique treasures. He gingerly held in his paw a once crumpled Junior Police Badge sticker, he had mockingly worn when he first met Judy. That is until he got angry and tore it off after her press conference following their solving of the Missing Mammals Case, he was never quite sure why he went back for it afterwards and dug it out of the trash bin. Maybe it just reminded him that for once he did something good and right. Finally he found what he was looking for, a Junior Ranger Scout neckerchief slide. He had kept it as a reminder to never trust anyone, but today it stood for something else. It was a symbol of forgiveness and healing. A promise he made to help guide a new generation of young mammals towards a brighter future.

Long ago, a Scoutmaster had once told him that the scouts were only as good as its volunteer leaders and that sometimes adults bring their prejudices with them. But that was not fulfilling the Promise of Scouting and this was something that the fox promised that he would do. This promise was not found in the prejudices of the self-righteous or the twisted ramblings of a country's leader. This promise was simply found in each scout's handbook, it was a promise made to every scout by the leadership.

Standing, he slipped the metal slide over the ends of his neckerchief and pulled it tight. Then, Scoutmaster Nicolas Wilde gave a genuine smile as he looked at himself in the mirror. Gone was the pain and bitterness he once felt when he saw a scout, the disappointment of having been mocked and rejected because he was different. Today, he only felt hope and determination to make the world a better place one child at a time.

"Not bad Slick," a voice spoke from behind him. "I still like you better in dark blue." His wife reached up and grabbed his neckerchief, just like she does his police uniform tie, and made him bend over so she could kiss him. "Ready to make the world a better place?"

"I always am," the fox chuckled as he straightened up. Stopping at the doorway, he gave her a smile. "After all these years, you should know that Carrots."

"Those two pawfuls of trouble, we call our sons are already dressed in their uniforms and waiting for you, but you better hurry before they explode in excitment." Judy laughed. "I just hope that Pack 914 is ready for Nick Wilde to returm, this time as their Scoutmaster!"


End file.
